Heroes Fall, Heroes Rise
by applestoalways47
Summary: During/post-'Under the Gun.' Beckett's training officer has betrayed her. Can her partner pull her through this trying time and prove to her that love won't always walk away? Rated T but there might be minimal smut at some point-nothing too graphic. Hope y'all enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi Guys!**

**I'm back from writing camp and horribly sick, so I thought I'd write a new fanfic to cheer myself up. Hope you guys enjoy it! A little AU because I leave out the part with Alexis and Martha at the end.**

**Fun Fact: I just found out that Rob Bowman's kid is a camper at the summer camp where I work! I will find some way to meet the cast of Castle eventually…**

**Disclaimer: **Castle isn't mine and never will be *sad face*

**Heroes Fall, Heroes Rise**

The handcuffs gleamed in the moonlit cemetery as he held them out to her. She looked at them, symbols of the badge, purveyors of justice. He had wronged those cuffs and the job, and he was relinquishing both to her.

"Do what you gotta do, kid," he said.

And she did. She cuffed him slowly, the remnants of disbelief still tugging at her heart.

Kate Beckett paused for a moment, leaving a beat for the guilt to sink in before saying, "Michael Royce, you're under arrest."

The treasure was nowhere to be found, so Beckett and Castle headed back to the precinct in her Crown Vic. Castle stole glances at her the entire way, but her eyes never wavered from the road. Kate Beckett didn't flinch. She had lost three heroes now. She briefly looked over at Castle for a brief moment, but his eyes were trained on the road. She wouldn't give into her need for comfort, though. She'd play it close to the vest, as usual, even if the love she felt for Castle was creeping up on her again now that he had returned as her partner.

She stood staring at the murder board, slowly taking the various pictures of suspects and evidence off. Castle appeared from behind the board after talking with Ryan.

"Hey," he offered, hopeful but sans smile. He wanted to preserve the solemnity, not try and lighten the mood when Beckett had such a heavy weight pressing down on her. He knew when to refrain from pushing her emotional limits.

"Hey," she responded in the same manner, though her tone presented more of a veiled despondency. She turned her back and began to walk away. Castle couldn't let her shut him out like this. That wall needed to be scaled.

"Can I just say how…" Castle started, walking toward her. Beckett turned around, concealing the hope in her eyes that he would profess his love to her then and there, take her away from Royce's betrayal and envelop her in assurances of his undying devotion.

He paused. She waited for him to finish with butterflies flitting around in her stomach. She wouldn't dare let on how needy she was at that moment.

"…unsatisfying it is go on a treasure hunt with no treasure?" Castle supplied. Beckett's heart fell for a split second, but then she smiled demurely, covering up the sadness she felt with a slight quirk of her lips. She wished both of them could just spit it out already, tell each other of their feelings, but she also found it endearing that he didn't want to push her.

"Well it wasn't really a treasure hunt, Castle," Beckett replied, "It was a…murder investigation." Oh how she loved to push his buttons.

"Oh come on," Castle whined in disbelief, irritated by her ability to put a damper on anything thrilling they did during cases. "You can't tell me you weren't just a _little_ bit excited."

Her eyes smiled lightly with her lips as she looked at the adorable man before her. The hazels orbs tilted to the upper left corners of her eyes as she conceded, "Maybe a little." Admitting to her excitement was a hell of a lot easier and safer than giving into her disappointment and sadness.

A smug look enveloped Castle's face, but Beckett didn't regret her confession. He looked sexy no matter what expression his countenance bore.

Castle smiled at her and looked back to the murder board, his brow furrowing. Kate looked at him dreamily, her eyes scanning his face. She loved that little crinkle that appeared between his brows when he was in deep thought. "What's bugging me, though, is, if there was no treasure, then why make a map?" he pondered aloud. She snapped back into Beckett mode.

"Well, it's a big cemetery," she replied. "Maybe he got the spot wrong. Maybe 'Under the Gun' was just to throw us off."

"You know, if it was me," he began, "I would have left something _out_ of the map. Last step." As much as she secretly adored the CIA and mob stories he spun, Kate loved his knack for tapping into human nature and producing grounded theories.

"So you think there was another map?" she inquired, lifting her eyes to his face. Oh God, there were those perfect blue eyes again. She forgot the question she had asked and submersed her hazel orbs in his blue pools, though they were aimed at the murder board.

"I would have kept it somewhere close to me, somewhere where only I knew that…" he trailed off, his eyes wandering to another section of the board. Kate's own eyes followed his to the picture of Malcolm. Castle reached out and pulled the photo from its clip, saying, "…somewhere like on my body."

Kate caught on quickly, as usual, when she saw the Roman numerals tattooed on Malcolm's arm. "Do you think this is the final part of the map?" she asked, the hope and excitement returning to her eyes as she met Castle's, which were equally filled with light and anticipation.

"What else would be important enough for our jewel thief to tattoo it on his arm?" Castle replied, confirming the connection. "Okay Roman numerals…a two over a six. I'm gonna say that that's two rows up, six stones over from where we dug." His lips tightened into a line, hopeful yet sure that he would receive an eye roll from Beckett.

She surprised him by looking directly into his eyes, displaying hope as well, waiting for him to make the call. Losing Royce today had rooted her to her core, and she needed guidance.

"Care to do some digging, Detective?"

**There you have it! Please let me know if you liked this. I felt like 'Under the Gun' was a totally underrated episode and needed to resurface in the fanfic world. I know I pretty much just described what happened in the episode in this first chapter, but my own ideas come in later. Hope you guys enjoyed it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi All—**

**So here's where my ideas come in…Hope you enjoy! Little hint: Remember when Castle told Alexis and Martha that Kate gave him a "sweaty hug" when they found the treasure?**

**Disclaimer: **Nope, Castle's not mine. Just gonna go in a hole and die now.

**Heroes Fall, Heroes Rise**

The ride to the cemetery was one of suppressed excitement. Well, on Beckett's part anyway. Castle was nearly bouncing up and down in his seat with anticipation. Beckett felt that she had already betrayed enough of her enthusiasm about the treasure, but she gripped the steering wheel with a tighter hold than usual while attempting to hide a widespread grin.

They arrived back at the graveyard, both too excited to be tired despite the fact that it was almost midnight. They located the gravestone where the multi-gun standoff had occurred only a couple hours before. All the criminals had been apprehended, so Beckett would normally deem that a solid win, but the outcome was bittersweet.

She paused for a moment at the tombstone, remembering the blinding light reflecting off the cool metal of the handcuffs as Royce offered them to her. He had been the only one who understood her commitment to her mother's case. He had trained her to become one of New York's finest, but now he would be no better than the slimy criminals she put behind bars every day. He had lied. To her face. Castle did say once that Royce could tell a good story.

Suddenly Kate felt a hand resting firmly but comfortingly on her shoulder. She turned to look, though she knew full well whose hand it was. Her nose almost collided with his when her head swiveled to the side.

Rick wanted to kiss her. Now. He wanted to make her forget about Royce, betrayal, her mother. He wanted to remove every ounce of pain she had ever felt. He just wanted to _touch _her.

"Uh, you all right?" he stammered.

Kate wanted to kiss him. Now. She wanted to throw all caution and sorrow to the wind. She bit her bottom lip, hard. She found the image of Rick Castle wielding a shovel strangely hot. Wait, what?

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay, thanks, Castle," she replied with a slight nod, hazel never wavering from blue.

Their eyes had been locked for far too long than appropriate, as they claimed they weren't a couple. Their thoughts had consumed their minds, but that primal passion naturally flowed from their eyes. Kate was the first to break, as usual.

"Um…so, two rows up, six stones over?" she asked, her voice a bit higher and breathier than she had intended.

"Yeah, I think so," Castle responded with a slight shake of his head, waking himself from his thoughts.

They walked together and found the stone, a simple, nondescript marker. Castle lowered the shovel and began to dig. Kate watched the sweat form and could see his muscles rippling through his shirt, which was dampened by the perspiration.

"Want me to take a shift?" she offered after a few minutes. He looked tired, and she needed any excuse to stop watching him so creepily. Now she knew how he felt when he stared at her as she completed paperwork.

"Um, sure, if you want," Castle said, shrugging and turning to hand her the shovel. Upon seeing her, he was a bit taken aback. Her face was flushed and her bottom lip was between her teeth. Was Kate Beckett blushing? She looked like a giddy schoolgirl trapped in the body of a detective determined to hide her feelings. He had no idea that he had this kind of effect on her. _Time for a little experimentation,_ he thought, smiling to himself.

Rick stepped out of the hole he had dug and came to stand next to Kate, far closer than necessary. Kate's heart quickened as she inhaled his scent, which had been magnified by his perspiration. Her lips parted, and her eyes might have closed if not for the fingers she felt brushing her own as the shovel was handed to her. Castle's eyes bore into hers, but this time he broke the contact by brushing past her, grazing his shoulder on hers.

Kate let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding, gathered her composure, and stepped into the hole to continue digging.

Castle watched Kate dig, wondering how she was so strong, emotionally and physically. He admired her for more than her beauty; she had brains, a sense of humor, a compassionate heart. Her main fault was that she hardly came to terms with the fact that she possessed all of these wonderful qualities. She was his project, his basket case, his best friend. She was _his._

"Castle, you are watching me dig. It's creepy," she snapped, fully aware of the hypocrisy of her statement.

He threw her a boyish grin. "Turnabout is fair play, Detective," he retorted.

Kate flung the remaining dirt on her shovel onto Castle, hoping to wipe that devilish grin off his face.

"Aagh! Jeez, Beckett! Besides, I just wanted to see the treasure!" he whined, hoping to prevent further assailment.

Beckett scoffed and scrunched her face in outrage at his blatant lie and lowered the shovel to sling a second helping of dirt at her partner, but then she heard a clunk as the metal connected with the ground.

Beckett and Castle looked at each other with wide eyes and gaping mouths, which quickly transformed to excited grins. Kate discarded the shovel, and Castle jumped into the hole. Both of them dug with their hands, which brushed together on more than a few occasions, but they were focused on the task at hand, so they continued to claw their way through the dirt.

They removed a large, hard-shell suitcase from the earth and placed it on the grass next to the grave. They each hopped out of the hole and knelt by the case, their hands poised to undo its latches. They looked at each other briefly, their grins stretching from ear to ear, seeming to say, "1, 2, 3!"

They opened the case simultaneously to find beautiful red and blue stones piled in its interior, shining in the moonlight.

"Castle!" Beckett exclaimed as she flung her arms around his shoulders. He managed to clasp his arms around her waist before losing his balance, sending both of them tumbling into the grave.

Castle suddenly found himself lying on top of the woman of his dreams, albeit in a grave, but that was beside the point. To his surprise (and delight), her fingers were still latched around his neck, wistfully threading through the hair at the nape of his neck, and his hands fisted the fabric of the back of her turtleneck. Their eyes stayed locked until Kate's flickered to his lips, but then a look of worry crossed her face. Could she really do this? Now?

She unlaced her fingers and began to push up off of the dirt floor, but then she felt a hand press against her face and turn it toward the one in front of her, the face of her partner, her…well, what the hell was he anyway?

"No," he begged softly, his eyes pleading and on the verge of seeping tears.

Kate soon found hers felt the same, so her arms wound back around his neck, and she brought his lips to hers with an, "Oh, Castle," barely suppressing a sob. He lowered her head softly to the ground and kissed her in earnest.

The kiss was tender yet passionate, firm yet gentle, desperate yet slow and sweet. Her fingers twirled strands of his hair, and his hands moved soothingly up and down her back. Rick caught her bottom lip between his teeth, slightly nibbling it before he pulled away. Hazel and blue both glistened with tears, and mouths spread widely into grins of utter joy.

The two sat up in the grave, realizing where they were and laughing at the ridiculousness and irony of it all. They shared one more languid kiss entwined in each other's laps before pulling apart suddenly and exclaiming, "The treasure!" as they scrambled out of the grave to return the jewels to their rightful owners.

**Like it? I'm pretty pleased, if I do say so mahself. Next chapter will bring a few confessions and a myriad of fluff, of course. Please let me know your opinions because reviews are more satisfying (and addicting) than butterscotch chip cookies! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi folks—**

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I'm a little sick of _The Grapes of Wrath,_ so I'm blowing off some summer reading to write chapter three today. Hope you like it. By the way, it just dawned on me that Castle's still supposed to be with Gina in this episode, so I'm going to go a little AU on that.**

**Disclaimer: **Nope, Castle's not mine, though I'm working on a plan to somehow force Andrew Marlowe to bequeath it to me in his will (muhaha).

**Heroes Fall, Heroes Rise**

When Castle and Beckett were finally able to keep their hands off each other long enough to schlep the jewels back to the Crown Vic, they tossed the case in the trunk and took their respective seats. They both exhaled deeply, attempting to gain some control over their bodies, which were buzzing with desire.

Their attempts proved futile as soon as their eyes met.

"Hands at ten and two" hadn't even crossed Beckett's mind before her fingers were carding through Castle's hair, her lips slanting fervently against his. He returned the kiss with the same fierce desperation, his hands sliding up her sides beneath her shirt. His gentle caresses contrasted with the frantic nature of his kisses elicited sounds from her that he had never heard. Faint whimpers and moans escaped her lips as the desperation of the kiss heightened, and Castle's grip grew tighter on her waist.

Castle was surprisingly the first to break away, probably due to lack of oxygen. After catching his breath just enough, he turned to Kate and gave her that crinkly smile that melted her heart before leaning in to place a tender, languid kiss on her lips.

"A Crown-Vic-make-out-session has always been on my list of fantasies," he murmured against her mouth.

"Mmmm, me, too," Kate hummed.

Shit.

Was that out loud?

Castle's face radiated with a smug satisfaction as a wide grin spread from ear to ear.

"You have fantasies about me, Kate?" he taunted, tilting his head playfully. Oh _God_, just the way he used her first name is enough to…whoa there, Katie. Calm down.

It wouldn't hurt to tease him just a little, though, now would it?

"Well I had to survive this summer somehow, didn't I?" she retorted, her eyes bright with mischief, mimicking his actions by cocking her head to the side.

Shock at her sass briefly flicked across Rick's features, but his face soon fell as memories of the summer flew in and out of the transom of his mind. Sure, Gina had been a fun companion in the Hamptons when she wasn't badgering him about his book, but he always found himself wondering what Kate would say about something or how she would handle a situation that arose.

Castle lowered himself back into his seat and stared at the glove compartment, refusing to meet Kate's eyes. She had had Demming then, but he couldn't help feeling that he had hurt her in some way. Kate was so fragile. Sometimes Rick always felt like he was hurting her.

Kate's teasing smile quickly vanished as she saw Castle's reaction to her words. She also recalled instances from that summer. Working on a case and wondering what theory Castle would spin here or what tiny detail he would notice there. She had put on a brave face and hidden her emotions when Gina had arrived at the precinct. It was a low blow, but Kate knew that Castle could choose what company he kept. Besides, he hadn't known about her breakup with Demming until their first case after the summer.

"Castle, what's wrong?" she asked tenderly, attempting to intertwine her fingers with his. He allowed this, but his eyes still refused to meet hers.

"Rick? Please, please tell me," she pled, tears pushing at the back of her eyes.

Her use of his first name, a rarity, caused him to glance to her intent gaze, but those hazel eyes looked hurt, so he turned away. He was always hurting her. He unlaced their fingers to buckle his seatbelt.

Kate sat back in the driver's seat, defeated. She fastened her own seatbelt and started the car.

"Tell you what," she began, sniffling slightly and swallowing the lump in her throat. Attempting to lighten the mood was usually Castle's territory, so she was walking on eggshells. "We'll drop the jewels at the precinct, head back to my place, order Chinese, and have a talk. Sound okay?"

This earned a nod from Castle.

"We can watch a couple gory zombie movies if you want," she prodded.

Castle gave her a faint, boyish smile and returned his gaze to the traffic ahead. Kate took her right hand from the steering wheel and rested it lightly on his, comforting but unobtrusive.

"So I guess there's no chance we'll get a ten percent finder's fee or something, right?" Castle joked after a few minutes of comfortable silence. He had regained enough of his composure to continue with the lighter mood Kate had attempted to create.

"Probably not," Beckett answered matter-of-factly.

"Still, we could just keep it and say we never found it. You know, do what all those criminals do and fly to the Cayman Islands, hole up on a beach somewhere and just...unnf."

He was silenced by a hand fanning across his face, scrunching it. "Shut up, Castle," Beckett ordered halfheartedly, her lips quirking upward into a slight smile. "And criminals don't even do that. Seems like shadowing me really hasn't given you much insight into the criminal mind."

He closed his eyes and turned his head to press his lips lightly to her palm, forgetting all about his plan to distance himself from her. Kate's breath caught, all joking aside, and she took the opportunity of the next red light to replace her palm with her lips in a slow and sweet kiss slightly laced with leftover desperation from earlier.

A honk from the car behind them jolted them back to the reality of the streets of New York, and they sped back to the precinct without further interruption to deliver the treasure.

Not feeling much like bragging and hoping to avoid betraying themselves to the boys, Kate and Rick quickly dropped the suitcase in evidence and hopped back in the Crown Vic.

"You wanna drive?" Beckett offered before they got in the car.

Castle stopped in his tracks, a look of disbelief on his face. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, it's no big deal," Kate said as she shrugged, walking back around to the passenger seat.

Castle checked the parking lot for any other people before gripping her shoulders and planting a kiss on her lips, pulling back relatively quickly with a smack. His surprise transferred to her face, and he pranced around to the other side of the vehicle before she could pull him into another lip lock. She just shook her head and got in the passenger side. Kate Beckett would never admit it, but she didn't mind if someone else was in control every once in a while.

**Confessions, tears, and possibly a tiny bit of smut in the future. I only have one review! Please fix that situation, people! **


	4. Chapter 4

**I know, I know, I'm an insanely horrible person because I haven't updated in AGES, but I guess running around with six-year-old girls eight hours a day really takes a lot out of you. Finally got inspired today, though. YAY :) **

**Minimal smut warning. Not totally explicit, but if you're looking for wholesome family fun to read with the kiddies, you ain't gonna find it here.**

**Disclaimer: **Not a chance in hell that I will ever own Castle.

Kate now understood why she never let Castle drive. Maybe it was his desire to just get home and be able to kiss her (or do more) without having to look over his shoulder, or maybe he though that, being a detective, Kate could get him out of any trouble with the beat cops.

Or maybe he just drove like a maniac all the time.

Kate didn't know or care. This was New York, but seriously.

Having survived the drive, Castle finally pulled the Crown Vic into his building's parking lot. They walked hand in hand toward the elevator, stealing awkward glances at each other like two teenagers. Beckett, of course, bit her bottom lip profusely, driving Castle insane.

The elevator arrived after the two had been staring at the ground for half a minute, sensing that an underground parking lot would not be the most romantic of places to unleash their unbridled passion on each other. Still, the first time they had kissed was inside a godforsaken grave, but that was beside the point.

This would be real. A do-over of every glance that could have turned into something more.

They stepped into the elevator and completely disregarded all previously felt restraint, pouncing on each other, locking their lips and throwing away the key. His right hand fisted in her hair while his left clung to her waist, pushing her up against the elevator wall. Her hands wound around his neck, pulling him flush against her.

The couple pulled away after God knows how long, gasping for air. Rick buried his face in Kate's hair and leaned against the wall behind her. Once they regained presence of mind, they both looked at each other again and laughed. They had been standing (or, more accurately, making out), in a stationary elevator for over two minutes because they had attacked each other before either one had pressed the button for Castle's floor.

Rick pried his hand from its death grip on Kate's waist and reached over to select the proper level. The hand returned to her waist, and his lips returned to hers in a gentle caress of a kiss.

"Doesn't count," he mumbled against her lips between kisses.

Kate unwound her hands from his neck and pushed his shoulders back, a furrowed brow tinted with worry staining her countenance. Rick simply smiled boyishly at her confusion.

"What the hell do you mean, it 'doesn't count'? You…you don't want this?" she scoffed.

Now it was his turn to worry. "No! No, of course I want this. I want _you_," he insisted, lacing his fingers in hers and resting their foreheads together. "All I meant was, as we're sharing fantasies today, another one of mine is to kiss you senseless in an elevator…"

Cue the classic Kate Beckett eye-roll.

"…But not just any elevator," he continued.

"The elevator of the 12th precinct."

Kate couldn't say she was shocked. In fact, that fantasy constantly crossed her mind.

Okay, more than constantly.

Basically every time they were at close proximity in an elevator.

Which was all the time.

_God dammit._

"Well, writer-boy," she began, her arms snaking back around his neck and her eyes flickering to his lips, "that fantasy seems surprisingly reasonable to me."

His jaw might have dropped if her lips hadn't caught it in a slow, sweet kiss as the elevator dinged.

The sound lent a certain kind of reality and solemnity to the situation.

Kate was going to Castle's loft to spend the night with him.

They had skipped at least three relationship steps.

Then again, they had basically been dating for almost two years, so that thought dissipated quicker than Kate expected.

The two interlaced their fingers and strolled to the door, Kate's head resting on Castle's shoulder.

"Don't tell me you're tired already, Detective," Castle quipped as he noticed her gesture while unlocking the door.

"No, I…" Kate stared at the floor. She couldn't formulate a snappy comeback, so she went for sincerity instead. "I just like being close to you."

Her eyes met his in a flood of love, happiness, and surprise, the good kind.

He tugged her gently into the loft by their threaded fingers and kissed her in earnest, his tongue dancing with hers in an atmosphere of fluidity, not competition. His hands glided to her waist and ghosted up her sides, sliding along the silky plane of her skin.

Their relationship was new and fragile. He wanted to take it slow, but that didn't mean they couldn't have their first time as soon as possible. They were both ready to take that step, but it wouldn't be fast and loose sex that they would regret later. It would be a slow, reverent exploration of each other's bodies that they would always remember with a fond smile.

Rick was loath to remove his hands from her creamy skin, but he forced himself to reach up and slip the coat off of Kate's shoulders before returning to his ministrations. She reciprocated by removing his blazer and slowly unfastening the buttons of his dress shirt, all the while never breaking their languid, passionate kiss.

They slowly gravitated toward the bedroom, and once they had made it there, Kate had finished her unbuttoning. She pushed the shirt off of his arms, revealing the broad, muscled chest of her partner. She barely had time to revel in this discovery before his hands ceased their caresses and pulled her turtleneck over her head.

His own admiration began as he beheld her sleek, unblemished skin. The black, lacy bra was completely unexpected and sexy, but it was also a barrier. However, all Rick could focus on were her hands fumbling with his belt buckle. Kate felt her calves connect with the side of the bed. Rick gently laid her down, placing feathered kisses on her eyelids and her nose, then stood upright and removed his shoes and pants.

After removing her impossibly high heels, he crawled back up her body, scanning every inch of it before locking his eyes and lips on her own. His hands reached down between their heated bodies to unbutton her slacks, once more lifting himself off of her to pull them off. Kate whimpered at the loss of warmth, but the fire returned when she felt him nibble up her mile-long legs, tasting, savoring. He placed lazy, wet kisses on her stomach and chest, giving her goosebumps. He reached her neck and nipped at her pulse point, eliciting a soft groan from the back of her throat. He finally reached her lips again, and her hands threaded through his hair, pulling him close.

Their undergarments were the only things between them now. The couple simply kissed. Foreplay was overrated, and they wanted their first time to be simple yet beautiful. Ricks hands roamed her body, wanting to touch every inch. He gently unclasped her bra, tossed it off the bed, and replaced it with his mouth, causing Kate to arch her back into him with a louder groan.

His hands gravitated to the lining of her matching panties, teasing the elastic waistband with his fingers. Kate wriggled in impatience, and Rick chuckled into her skin, his hot breath making her hair stand on end.

Rick eventually capitulated, slipping the garment off of her long, lean legs to join her bra on the bedroom floor. Kate returned the favor by playfully pulling at the waistband of his boxers before shucking them off.

Rick paused and sat up, straddling her. Kate Beckett—his muse, his best friend, his partner in all things—was naked in his bed, ready for him to fully give himself to her. This was better than any kinky fantasy.

The smile she gave him, her lips moist and swollen from his kisses, her cheeks flushed, was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. The weight that usually pressed down on her back seemed nonexistent. Only her chestnut locks cascaded over her shoulders.

Kate stared up at him and smiled. Rick Castle—her favorite author, her nine-year-old on a sugar rush, her best friend, her partner in all things—was making love to her. This wasn't just sex. This was deeply emotional love and respect poured from his body to hers, her body to his. His hair was floppy and tousled, and the slight stubble on his chin created a delicious friction when their lips locked.

Though most would find his figure formidable, she felt safe in the cocoon of his arms and chest as he leaned over her once more to find that spot on her neck that drove her crazy. He had already found her sweet spots. He really did know her well.

His hot breath trickled into her ear as he nibbled on her lobe.

"I love you," he whispered almost inaudibly, the sensuality and sincerity of his simple words rooting her to her core and increasing her desire tenfold.

She turned her tearstained eyes to his and placed several feather-light kisses to his lips before repeating his methods, her teeth gently nipping his ear before she whispered, "And I love you."

Before she knew it, Kate Beckett was seeing stars and her voice and breath had left her body with one swift motion of her partner's hips.

The pace was slow and sensual, reverent and worshipping. Bodies moved in harmony. Hands roved, tongues danced, moans and whimpers escaped. They fell over the precipice together without screams or shouts, simply exhalations of each other's names flowing continuously from their lips.

Rick stared down into Kate's eyes, smiles gracing both of their faces. He rolled off of Kate to her side, pulling her close until their foreheads touched, their eyes fluttering closed into a sated, welcome sleep encased in each other's arms.

**It's so cheesy and cliché, right? I love writing all this melodramatic stuff, as you guys probably already know. First time writing anything close to smut, so be kind.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey Y'all—**

**So, unfortunately, school starts tomorrow for me, so I think I'll wrap this fic up with this chapter. Be prepared for fluffy, Casketty, morning after adorableness mixed with some heartfelt (and most likely corny) confessions. Btw, thanks to LittleLizzieZentara for pointing out the Gina thing. That's AU too, and I'll address it in this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: **I am on a mystical quest to one day own Castle, but said quest is not yet complete.

Rick's eyelids fluttered open into the sunlight slicing through the curtains, his gaze immediately fixating on the way his partner's body glowed in the golden haze of the morning. He gently dragged a finger up the crevice of her back, starting at her waist, and twirled the ends of her sunlit hair. He was content to stare at Kate forever, one side of her face smashed in a pillow, the other facing toward him with a kind of serenity her countenance had never borne.

Kate's eyelids flickered under his ministrations, sensual buzzes of electricity humming in her veins simply because of his touch. Hazel latched onto blue, and gentle smiles spread across the couple's faces.

"Hey, you," Rick offered, all the while still playfully curling her golden locks.

"Hi," Kate almost whispered in response, his gentle caresses deterring her ability to fully wake up.

"Guess we kinda botched the whole going-back-to-your-place-ordering-chinese-gory-movie-watching-slash-talking thing, huh?" Rick said, removing his fingers from her hair to lovingly trace the outline of her jaw.

Kate closed her eyes, sighing a breathy laugh at his childish wit, and turned her head to brush her lips against the tips of his fingers. "Guess so," she conceded. "I shouldn't have let you drive," she added with a devilish grin.

Rick gaped in mock horror. "Whose fault is that?" he scoffed, playfully pushing on her hip.

Kate pursed her lips mischievously and shoved his shoulder. Rick pushed back harder this time, rolling her over beneath him and diving in to devour her lips. Though the kiss was heated, neither of them had enough energy for another round yet. Hell, they hadn't even had their coffee.

Rick peeled himself off of her and returned to his former spot, and Kate smiled at his smug grin, shaking her head.

"We do have to talk though, Kate," Castle said, seriousness covering his features as he placed a finger under her chin to tilt her head, their eyes speaking more than words ever could.

Kate bit her lip in apprehension. "Coffee first," she replied with conviction, pointing a finger at Rick, implying that he would be the one supplying the caffeine this morning. Rick responded by mimicking her earlier actions, placing a feather-light kiss to Kate's fingertip and adding one on her lips.

"Okay, we'll talk over coffee, as usual," Rick said with a crinkled grin as he reluctantly rolled away from the goddess in his bed to make her coffee. God, he was more whipped than Ryan.

Kate watched as her partner slid on sweatpants and an old, baggy t-shirt. It was so domestic, and her cheeks flushed with adoration and…was she turned on right now? No, they are going to have a serious talk, no funny business. But the way the sweat pants hang low on his hips just…come on, Katie, get a grip. You're a homicide detective, not a cheerleader drooling over some football jock. She's been gnawing on her lip so much that it's feeling raw, so she resolves to just put some damn clothes on and get a hold of herself.

Kate slides off the bed and plucks Rick's dress shirt off of the floor, fastens the buttons, and rubs the collar between her fingers, bringing it up to her nose to breath in his scent. Mmmm…but the real thing was better.

She slowly wandered across his office and into the kitchen, the aroma of coffee flooding her senses. Coffee was always better with a hint of Castle.

Rick leaned against the counter and watched as she padded toward him, wearing his shirt, and oh GOD let the damn coffee burn, but…uh-uh, Ricky. Talk first. Keep it your pants for ten minutes.

Kate slid into the V of his legs, her back came to rest against his chest, and her nose nuzzled into his neck. Rick's arms slithered around her waist, anchoring him to her, and her hands rested on his.

"Hi there," he said, placing a kiss in her hair.

"Mmm…" Kate mumbled into his skin, her face burrowing deeper into his neck.

They remained content in each other's arms until they heard the faint ding of the espresso machine.

Their coffee made, the couple curled up on the couch. Rick sat cross-legged, harboring Kate in his lap.

"Okay, talk to me," Kate prompted, taking a sip of the heavenly, creamy nectar before setting her cup down and bringing her arms around his neck.

"All right, big question," Rick said, puffing out a breath of air. "Are you in this, Kate, with me, for good?"

The broad question caught Kate by surprise, but her answer was simple.

"Always," she replied quietly with a demure smile. "As long as you don't do anything stupid," she added, poking his nose gently. Rick playfully nipped at her finger, and her eyes fluttered closed as her lips parted slightly. They were in a rather compromising position…

"Anyway," Rick continued (damn, he was going to torture her), "your turn to ask."

Kate paused, though she had had a question in mind ever since last June.

"What happened with Gina?" she asked timidly, "In the Hamptons, I mean."

Castle puffed out another breath. "Well, it was pretty…unsatisfying. All she did was bother me about the book. The magic was long gone with us. Frankly," he paused—this was hard, "I mainly did it just to make you jealous, since you were with Demming."

Kate looked down, then back up at Rick beneath her eyelashes, biting her lip. Her we go.

"Actually," she began, "I ended things with Tom before you left. I…I wanted to go with you to the Hamptons because I realized that _you_ were what I was looking for, but…but then…" She struggled with her words as the memories lumped together in her throat.

Castle let out a grating sigh and buried his face in her neck, planting kisses that sent shivers up her spine. He lifted his head and found her eyes, saying, "I'm so sorry, Kate. I…I don't know what else to say. I was stupid and impulsive and—"

Her lips silenced his in a tender kiss.

Kate pulled back but held his gaze. "I dreamt about you almost every night this summer. I thought about all the cases we'd solved, all the looks we'd shared, everything that might have happened…"

Castle sucked in a shuttering breath.

"So I drowned myself in my mother's case again just to put you out of my mind. But when you came back…"

Castle's eyes bore into hers.

"You…you changed everything again. I realized why I had broken things off with Tom and how wonderful you were—are—and I didn't want you to leave ever again."

Castle tugged her into a tight embrace, and his face once again found solace in her neck, seeping tears into her creamy skin.

Kate held him close and ran soothing fingers up his back and through his hair, biting her lip and pushing back tears of her own.

Castle let out a sigh and raised his head to meet her gaze, giving her an adorable smile. "But we're here now, right? I mean, whatever mistakes we've made in the past, we've gotten here. Now we can…start again," he assured her, and she nodded in response, her face breaking out into the most beautiful smile he'd ever seen.

Castle leaned in to catch her lips in a kiss. After they'd pulled away, Castle reached over to the table and picked up Kate's coffee.

"Hey, that's mine!" she whined playfully.

"I know," he replied, lifting the cup to her lips, and she welcomed the smooth liquid.

"Mmm…thanks," she replied, once again stunning him with a dazzling smile before grabbing his mug off of the table.

Kate lifted it to his lips, and he closed his eyes, waiting.

And then she dumped the coffee all over his face.

As he recovered, she leapt up from the couch giggling like a maniac and ran toward the bedroom.

"Katherine Beckett, I never!" he shouted after her, running after his police detective, as always.

**FIN**

**Aaaaaaand that's it! Wish me luck in conquering junior year :O Thanks for all your reviews and support. Love you all, always!**


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